Oil change on Perkins 4.236

[jwnall]

Tried to change the oil on a Perkins 4.236 for the first time today. It was a failure, and I cannot figure out why. I've had it changed by someone else a couple of times, but decided to do it myself this time (haven't had the boat all that long). I used to change the oil on the Yanmar in my sailboat and never had a problem -- just stuck a tube down the dipstick and pumped it out.

But on the Perkins I pumped out about 2-1/2 quarts and then it only pumped air. I know that the oil was at MAX on the dipstick, so there should have been about 6 quarts in there, plus some in the filter.

Is there some sort of trick to it? Is going down the dipstick the proper technique on a Perkins? The tube down the dipstick was pushed down until it stopped. Could there be some sort of obstruction? Perhaps use a smaller tube?

Any thoughts, speculations, welcomed. I'm going to try the same thing on the other engine (twin engine boat) and see if it does the same thing.

 

[FlyWright]

John,

I use a Tempo Oil Extractor on my 4.236's.

On the stbd engine, I was able to install a petcock and a barbed fitting so I can hook up a hose to the barb and suck the oil out of the aft port corner of the stbd pan. When I'm done, I close the petcock and remove the hose.

The hull interferes with mounting a similar fitting on the aft port corner of the port engine pan. On that engine I use the long, small diameter hose and work it the best I can to the back of the pan. It doesn't get it all out, but it comes close....maybe a quart left behind. Next time I need to have the engine mount disconnected and engine lifted, I plan to install the other fitting for the port engine.

Is your extractor hose long enough? Can you remove the dipstick tube to give yourself better access to the pan?

 

[jwnall]

John,

I use a Tempo Oil Extractor on my 4.236's.

On the stbd engine, I was able to install a petcock and a barbed fitting so I can hook up a hose to the barb and suck the oil out of the aft port corner of the stbd pan. When I'm done, I close the petcock and remove the hose.

The hull interferes with mounting a similar fitting on the aft port corner of the port engine pan. On that engine I use the long, small diameter hose and work it the best I can to the back of the pan. It doesn't get it all out, but it comes close....maybe a quart left behind. Next time I need to have the engine mount disconnected and engine lifted, I plan to install the other fitting for the port engine.

Is your extractor hose long enough? Can you remove the dipstick tube to give yourself better access to the pan?

I'm using a similar pump which I bought from West Marine. First time that I have used it.

Have not thought about trying to remove the dipstick. I will check that out.

Also, the extractor came with two hoses. I used the larger one, since it would fit into the dipstick. But will try using the smaller one and see if that helps. Both hoses (small one and large one) are a gracious plenty long enough, but I just have this sense that the hose is not going all the way down to the bottom of the pan.

 

[FlyWright]

...and you're doing this with warm oil, right?

 

[jwnall]

...and you're doing this with warm oil, right?

Yes. The initial flow went just fine, but it stopped after about two and a half quarts. Good to check, though.

 

[jwnall]

Let me just check something with you, Al. The dipstick has a line close to the tip, which says MIN, and another line a bit further up, which says MAX. And then yet another line quite a ways up the dipstick, which says nothing. Cannot quite figure why that extra line is there. I have always assumed that the MAX line means "maximum" and do not let the oil get over that. Right????

 

[FlyWright]

Right. I have never noticed another line, but Min and Max seem to be about 2 qts apart.

 

[jwnall]

OK, since no one ever said that a Perkins has something peculiar about it so that a tube down the dipstick hole will not work, I figured that it must be cockpit error. So went back down today (I live 40 miles from the marina). The problem was that the tubing that I was using was too large, because I went to a smaller diameter tubing and could get it down further. So everything is in good shape now, other than the inevitable mess. Just no way to change oil without spilling some! Drat! I'll go down tomorrow and change oil in the port engine. And the clean up.

 

[FlyWright]

Good to hear!

With practice, I bet you'll be doing it without a spill.

 

[Dougcole]

Hey John,

I always kept the oil close to the max line on the dipsticks, one of them it looks like someone ground one of the measurement lines off the stick, not sure why. I never knew if that was the right amount of oil, but I put 1000 hours on the engines with no problems, so it must have been pretty close.

Put a gallon size ziplock bag around those filters as you spin them off and you won't spill any oil. Let the filter fall into the bag and toss the whole mess.

Doug